Food Oral Immunotherapy

Food oral immunotherapy (OIT) is a process which retrains the immune system to tolerate food proteins that an individual is allergic to. OIT is a safe and effective method to enable people with food allergies to eat the food they are allergic to without fear of an allergic reaction.

It is a life changing treatment for children and adults suffering from food allergies.

Dr. Pierre-Alain Dauby, M.D., FAAAAI, FACAAI is the only board certified allergist in Western Pennsylvania to offer this life changing treatment.

The goal is to allow the person to eat the food(s) they are allergic to without any allergic reaction. The individual no longer has to avoid the food they are allergic to, and he/she can eat a serving of the food without experiencing anaphylaxis.

Imagine going to a restaurant and ordering anything from the menu without having to tell anyone that you are allergic to a certain food, and eating the meal without experiencing an allergic reaction. That is possible with Dr. Dauby's food oral immunotherapy treatment protocol.

The literature shows that food oral desensitization is effective for the majority of patients. Most studies have a 80-90% success rate, meaning that the majority of patients can consume the allergenic food without reactions. This remains as long as the individual continues to eat a small daily dose of the particular food. Similar to treating cholesterol or high blood pressure with a daily pill, the food allergy is treated by taking a daily dose of food. What is not yet known is when the daily dose of the food can be stopped. Studies are presently ongoing to try to answer this question.

What is the age range for OIT?

Dr. Dauby offers OIT to adults of any age, and children as young as 1 year old.

How long does it take?

The process takes 6-12 months to ensure the safety of each patient. OIT is not a "one size fits all" since everyone is different and the time line will vary from person to person. Dr. Dauby will individualize the course of treatment based on a number of factors to include age, the food sensitivities, test results, and past reactions to minimize any risks and maximize the chances of success.

Why are other allergists not doing OIT?

There are numerous peer reviewed journal articles published in leading allergy journals around the world showing success with this therapy. The first trial published in the United States dates back to 2009. Of the 29 subjects who completed the trial at the time, 27 were able to ingest 16 peanuts after treatment. Since that first study, thousands of patients have been treated with food oral immunotherapy and hundreds of studies have been published showing success with oral immunotherapy.

Food oral immunotherapy requires a lot of knowledge, time, and attention to detail and most allergist do not have the training or expertise required to offer the treatment. Dr. Dauby has been doing food oral immunotherapy since 2017 and has extensive training and experience, resulting in a success rate over 90%.

Where can I find out more information on OIT?

The best way is to schedule an appointment with Dr. Dauby. During the appointment, Dr. Dauby will take a comprehensive history, review prior tests and obtain additional testing if needed in order to identify current food allergies vs those which could be re-introduced into the diet safely. He will explain in detail food oral immunotherapy as well as other possible options to include food oral challenges. Please bring any prior tests results to the appointment if possible (or have your physician fax us the test results).

You may also want to visit OIT101.org (TM) prior to the appointment to get acquainted with OIT.